The Devil's Advocate
by Netflix and Chell
Summary: This is a complete rewrite of my other Mirandy story, The Devil's Playground. This follows the original plot, with key differences. Hopefully for the better. The death of her uncle leads Andy back into Miranda's world, but on more even ground. This time, she's more than ready to make things work.
1. Chapter 1

**Turns out, I'm not actually dead. But, after seeing my fetus writing I died a little inside. I decided that Mirandy deserves better, so I'm attempting to fix it. Updates probably won't be as consistent as they should, but we'll get there. Might get multiple updates a week though, so that's the bright side. I post as I finish them.**

 **Anyway, hopefully this isn't trash. Lol**

* * *

Ambition ran in Andy's family. In fact, she'd been groomed nearly since birth for greatness. Her Uncle, William Harrison, had seen to it that she'd gone to the best schools money could buy. He, along with her father, had supported and nurtured her budding interests. During the regular school year, she lived with her parents, and lived a relatively normal life, but during the summers, she stayed with William and her cousin Michael. They traveled across the globe, shadowing William as he showed them the inner workings of the corporate world. Andy took to his teachings like a fish to water, while Michael had only showed a mild interest. He'd always been much more interested in the culinary arts, and relished in the opportunities to travel and learn from world renowned chefs.

When Andy took a shine to the literary career path, William had silently accepted that perhaps his business legacy would be left in the hands of someone else. While it saddened him, he was still very proud of his son and niece. Silently, he vowed to do whatever it took to see them successful.

Disaster struck just shy of Andy's 14th birthday. She'd been in the car with Michael and his mother, Jennifer, when they were hit by a truck. The impact cause them to slide off the road into a ditch, causing a second impact. Andy was knocked unconscious, and when she woke in the hospital days later, she was given the news that she was the sole survivor of the accident.

William was devastated, and moved to Ohio in an effort to be closer to the little family he had left. Andy's parents welcomed him with open arms, and for a time, things seemed to be on the mend. Andy focused on her writing, becoming Editor in Chief of the school newspaper, and submitting several short stories to local newspaper outlets within Cincinnati.

When Andy went on to College, William moved back to New York, and took full control of his company once again. The three year break had done good for him, and he came back with purpose, causing business to flourish for him. He'd focused on making sure that all is affairs we're in order, after neglecting them for so long.

Once Andy graduated and moved to New York, William got the news from his doctor that he had cancer. He kept it to himself, not wanting Andy to quit her job at Runway. As Andy struggled with her social life falling apart, William's health slowly declined.

After Andy quit in Paris, her first call was to her uncle. She couldn't face her father, and his disappointment. William flew her home the next day, and finally told her about his illness. Andy was devastated, but vowed to stay by his side. They returned to Ohio during his last months, and William passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by those who love him.

* * *

"Sweetie, you're going to have to leave that penthouse at some point," Kathleen Sachs sighed heavily through the phone, her voice full of concern, "Bill wouldn't want this."

"I know, I know," Andy tried her best not to start crying all over again, "it's just...the second I sign those papers, I'll have to work at his desk, in his office... surrounded by his things."

"I know," Kathleen said quietly, "we all miss him too, but you have to be strong. The longer you wait, the harder this will be."

"I just feel so guilty," Andy admitted, "if I wasn't working at Runway, I could have been here the whole time. He suffered alone for almost a year, Mom."

"He wasn't alone, and he was extremely proud of you," Kathleen immediately denied her words.

"I don't know if I can face this," Andy's voice cracked.

"You're so strong, and so brave," Kathleen soothed, "but even the strongest people can be hurt. I'm not telling you it will be easy, but I'm telling you it will be worth it. For William,for Michael and for yourself."

"I know you're right," Andy breathed, "I know you are, but right now I can't even see two days into the future, let alone have enough foresight to run a company."

"Take a deep breath," Kathleen advised, "and let it out. You've been doing this since you were 15, Andy. It's second nature, you just have to do it."

Andy looked across from her, at the stack of white papers her lawyer dropped off that morning. Her mother's words swirled in her head, as she chewed her lip.

"You can redecorate, you can even move the office to another floor if you have to, but you can't give up. You don't know how," Kathleen said knowingly, "I have to go start dinner now, but you call back if you need anything. I love you, Andy."

"I love you too, Ma," Andy smiled a little, "I'll call you tomorrow.

"I look forward to it," Her mother's smile could be heard in her voice.

The phone hung up, and Andy sighed. She glanced between the phone and the paperwork on the coffee table. A frown settled between her brows, as she thought about what it would mean if she signed them.

Red Dot Inc. was a billion dollar company, not to mention it was the parent company of several smaller distribution and manufacturing companies. When she signed on the line, she would take all that on, and slip right into her Uncle's shoes. She would understand the full scope of work he did, and the responsibility. A small part of her relished the thought, knowing that if she was busy working, she couldn't spend all day crying and feeling miserable.

 _Can I really just let someone else take over everything Uncle Bill did?_

As she thought over the question, the answer became clear. Her Mother was right, and she also knew that if she sat inside and cried all day, she would slip into the same depression she had when Michael died. She never wanted to go back to that place. There was no Uncle William to pull her back out, this time.

Without giving herself more time to over think, Andy lifted the pen, and took the paperwork from the table. She skimmed them, double checking the wording, making sure there were no problems. She trusted her uncle to make sure everything was in order, even in his sickness, but she knew that lawyers could sometimes be scheming bastards. The company itself would always be hers, because it was left to her in William's will, but her position on the board and as CEO was highly sought-after. Enough money could loosen any lawyers loyalties.

Andy spent hours pouring over the documents, signing where needed, and marking for correction in other places. There were only minor details that needs adjusting, and by midnight, she was satisfied with it. When she moved over to the pending business deals, she wasn't surprised to see that her uncle had his hands in quite a bit of stock. She was, however, shocked when she saw a familiar logo.

"What were you doing with Elias-Clarke, Uncle Bill," Andy muttered to herself, flipping through the pages.

As she read, her eyes widened. Not only had her uncle been in the process of becoming a silent partner, but he'd also purchased a significant amount of stock in several of their magazines, including Auto Universe and Runway.

Andy felt a twinge of annoyance, especially when her uncle promised he wouldn't get involved in her work. She knew that he likely still had, not to ensure she had a job, but because that was his nature. He had to have control of every situation he was involved in. Her father was very similar, and she was used to it by now, but she still felt irritated that he'd gone behind her back.

Andy sat the file aside, and went through the rest fairly quickly. She sent another message, telling her lawyer to set up a meeting with Irv Ravits. She would handle this tomorrow, and hopefully move on. She was no longer working with them, and she wanted nothing to do with it. The thought of Runway made her stomach flip uncomfortably, but she chalked it up to shame at how she left.

When she finally crawled into bed, she was able to fall asleep with no problems. For once, she didn't have nightmares, and she was able to sleep through the night without waking up.

* * *

The week Andy started work, was a hectic one. The adjustment period had been fairly smooth, but the sheer amount of work that was piled up on her was almost impossible to get through. Luckily, her assistant, Gia, was an old intern that was around during Andy's Summers with her Uncle. She was able to predict Andy's needs, and had already scheduled her days to make Andy more comfortable.

"Andy," Gia knocked lightly on the open office door, "Irving confirm your meeting, you'll be meeting him later today, just before lunch."

"Thanks, Gia," Andy nodded, "I'll be ready when the car gets here."

"Also, your mom called. She wanted me to tell you that they'll be in town next month on the 18th," Gia read off the message, from her notepad.

"Great," Andy smiled a little, "confirm their hotel reservations, and clear my schedule for that afternoon unless it's an emergency appointment."

"Already done," Gia nodded, "and those listings your realtor had delivered have been sent to the penthouse, after being scanned and emailed to you."

"You're a lifesaver," Andy grinned at her, "thank you, Gia."

"That's my job, boss," the blonde winked, before turning and heading out of the office.

Another hour saw Andy on her way to the Elias-Clarke building. Today, she was unfortunately stuck with her Intern, Steven. She'd known him for a little longer than 2 years, when he first began his internship. She'd taken a temporary position working with her Uncle, while she went back to school for her degree in business.

Steven hated her from the very beginning, but she'd tried her best to help him out. She saw that he struggled to keep up with her uncle's face pace work ethic, and more than once she'd had to cover for him. He seemed to warm up to her after that, until Andy had accidentally given him the wrong information, and he'd been embarrassed in front of not just her uncle, but half of the senior staff. She'd tried to apologize, offering to take him to lunch or take responsibility for giving him the wrong documents. That only made him more angry, and he'd snapped at her, calling her spoiled and privileged. He ranted for nearly 10 minutes about how hard he'd worked, coming to the US alone, getting his degree without any support. Andy felt terrible, and she'd had herself transferred to another department, to ease the tension.

Now, she was his boss, and he hated her. He was up for a promotion, having finally graduated. Andy was prepared to give it to him, based on his evaluations, but the moment he saw her, he immediately changed his behaviors. Everything he was praised for, went out the window and Andy was so close to firing him, that she didn't even feel bad anymore.

When the car stopped and her door was opened for her, Andy quickly made her way inside. She was relieved to find no paparazzi had followed her, and she remained unnoticed. Once the news came out that she'd taken over her Uncle's work, she'd been hounded for interviews and followed by the paparazzi constantly. She hoped the buzz would die down, she really wasn't that interesting.

When she made her way into the conference room, after getting her guess badge from the surprised security, she nearly choked on her own spit. Both Irv and Miranda turned the moment she entered, and she saw shock flash across Miranda's face for just a second, before she settled back into her passive stare. Andy cleared her throat, sitting down across from them as Steven took the seat next to her, muttering under his breath.

"What a...pleasant surprise," Andy managed to get out, looking at Irv, "I wasn't aware that we would be having guests during our meeting."

"She insisted," Irv looked as irritated as Andy felt, "apparently anything to do with Runway was her concern as well. At least for now."

 _He can't seriously still be trying to get rid of Miranda,_ Andy thought with a slight frown, _did he not see how well that went last time?_

"She is sitting right here," Miranda spoke cooly, her sharp eyes cutting to the shorter man, "I am present in the room, am I not?"

"Of course," Andy cleared her throat, "my apologies. Good morning, Miranda."

"Andrea," Miranda cast her a glance.

"Perhaps we should get to business," Irv spoke up, ignoring Miranda's words, "your Uncle has already laid the groundwork, we only need your signature to proceed."

"I have a few questions for you first," Andy gave him a polite smile, motioning for Steven to give her the paperwork he held in his messenger bag.

He rolled his eyes, pulling out the folder as he muttered an insult in Russian. Andy froze, having understood every word. Her dark eyes turned to look at him, her face stoney as she stared him down. Steven shifted uncomfortably, recognizing the look. He'd seen her uncle turn that look on grown men, and scare them witless. Somehow, it was even more terrifying when Andy did it.

"I-I'll go get coffee," he stuttered, quickly standing from his seat, to get to the door.

"You do that," Andy agreed, still glaring at him.

He rushed from the room, slamming the door in his haste. Andy smirked a little at his reaction, resisting the urge to laugh as she saw him running down the hallway through the open blinds. Her eyes turned back to Miranda and Irv, and she noticed that Miranda had raised an eyebrow. Irv simply shifted uncomfortably, and cleared his throat.

"Your questions, Ms. Sachs?"

"Of course," Andy opened the folder, which was stained with red ink and colored tabs with input from her lawyers, "I was wondering why you would ever think I'd be interested in this contract, and if you think I'm stupid."

Irv coughed to cover his surprise, and frowned, " of course not, why would you-"

"You can cut the act," Andy cut him off, "I've dealt with snakes like you for majority of my life. You think, because I'm an heiress and a female that I'm dumb. This contract is so heavily in your favor, I'm completely certain you took advantage of my uncle's ailing health to practically steal from him."

"That's ridiculous," Irv was quickly becoming irritated, "he signed the contract! He was of sound mind."

"He wasn't, but I could see how someone with so little brain function could think so," Andy leaned forward, seeing a slight smirk on Miranda's lips, "but luckily for you, I don't want to be dragged through a harsh legal battle that will ruin you."

Irv's face had flushed, and Andy was surprised at how easily she'd gotten under his skin, "if you back out now, I will sue."

"You won't win," Andy smirked at him, clearly in her element, "not only would you lose, but I will rip this entire company to the ground, magazine by magazine, if you try. I have all the time and money in the world to do it. How long do you think it'll be before they fire you, and take every penny you own? I wonder if that assistant you've been sleeping with will stay with you once you're broke?"

Irv's eyes widened at her words, and Miranda looked between them, seeing the fear in his face. She couldn't understand how this.. this girl had managed to reel him in so easily, when she battled with him nearly daily for control.

"Here's my counter offer," Andy slipped a file across the table, into his reach, "we will go forward with the purchase of stock portfolio, at market price and not through your broker who must be insane if he thinks I'm going to pay nearly twice as much as they're worth. Also, you will be removed from the board of directors, effective as soon as a suitable replacement is found."

"You can't do this," he tossed the folder aside, "they'll never agree to this.

"But they already have," Andy shrugged, "this meeting is only to break the news to you. My offer only needed a majority vote, and you'd be surprised how many members of the board I know."

Irv stood, pointing at her, "you won't get away with this. You _will_ regret it."

"I'm sure you think so," Andy gave him a smile, "it doesn't feel good to be ambushed, does it? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch meeting."

Andy stood, but stopped short of leaving to cast Miranda a glance, "I'm sorry I threatened your magazine, Miranda. It's nothing personal, I hope you know that."

With that, she turned back to the door, and left.


	2. Chapter 2

Miranda arrived at her office shortly after the unexpected meeting with her ex assistant. She couldn't, for the life of her, understand what had truly just happened. Clearly she'd dropped into a conversation that was already almost over when she entered, and had missed vital information. Andrea knew members of the board. Andrea owned stock in Runway...all without her having the slightest clue.

"Emily," her voice carried out to the first assistant, who nearly jumped at the sudden summoning, "bring me every bit of information you can dig up on Andrea Sachs."

"Miranda," Emily looked extremely confused by the request.

"I'm sorry, is that beyond your mental capacity, Emily," Miranda's gaze was sharp, "perhaps I should find someone else for the job?"

"Of course not," Emily immediately jumped to action, "I'll get on it right away."

As she set to work, Miranda tried to focus on the tasked in front of her. She spent the next few hours ripping the newest layout to shreds, growing more frustrated with the incompetence of her staff as the minutes passed. She honestly expected more from Nigel, but decided that for now she would settle for a few biting remarks on her notes. He would get the message.

Meanwhile, Emily was having a small crisis as she delved into Andy's history. The more she dug, the more nervous she became. Andy was not just some Midwestern hick with no fashion sense, like she'd assumed. She was all of those things, as well as being the Heir to a multi billion dollar fortune. This woman had enough power to completely and utterly destroy Emily's life. The Redhead nearly fainted when she she realized Andy had enough power to ruin even _Miranda's_ life. And they'd all treated her like crap.

Immediately, she reached for a cube of cheese, as she felt lightheaded. Taking a deep breath as she printed out the articles and reports, she gathered them all and stood from her desk.

 _I love my job. I love my job. I love my job_

She plastered on a smile, and entered Miranda's office. She sat the articles down without a word, and hurriedly returned to her desk. She sent the new second assistant a glare when the girl looked like she might ask questions, and returned to the tasked she had yet to finish. She just hoped she would make it through the day without being fired, after Miranda read those papers.

Miranda, for her part, seemed to get some semblance of an answer. It didn't explain everything, however. She didn't understand how Andrea, who she now knew was not simply just an assistant, had sat at her desk for almost a year, taking orders when Miranda was absolutely sure she was used to giving them. She hadn't hinted not even once who she was, and she'd done an excellent job at fooling them all.

Miranda didn't take kindly to being played for a fool. She would get her answers, even if she had to pry them from Andrea herself.

"Emily," Miranda called out once more, "get me Andrea's contact information."

The redhead nearly had a heart attack at the request, but she managed to place a sticky note with the proper phone number on Miranda's desk minutes later. She closed the door behind her, once she saw Miranda's gesture, and she sat back down just as Miranda dialed the new number.

"Hello Miranda, how can I help you," Andy's voice was just as pleasant as Miranda remembered.

"And how did you know it was me," Miranda raised an eyebrow, even though Andy couldn't see it.

"You're the only woman I know that isn't my mother with enough nerve to call my office phone directly," Andy sounded amused, "what can I do for you?"

"Meet me for lunch tomorrow, 3:30," Miranda got straight to the point.

"I'm probably more busy than even you, Miranda," Andy admitted reluctantly, "I doubt I can make it. I already stretched my day thin today by having that meeting with Irv."

"I don't care for the details," Miranda rolled her eyes, "make it happen."

"You do understand I don't work for you anymore, right," Andy sounded amused, "if anything, I'm technically your boss now. But, I'll see what I can do."

"I thought you'd see reason," Miranda wouldn't admit to feeling a little bit of an ego boost that she still had some semblance of control over Andy.

"That's all," Andy hung up in her face.

Miranda stared at her phone for a few seconds. Then, as if hell itself had frozen over, she let out a genuine laugh. Never before had anyone managed to catch her so off guard the way Andy had countless times before. As much as she'd spent weeks trying to convince herself that she was only angry at her for leaving, seeing Andy again had reminded her that she'd been more than angry. She had been upset at the loss of the girl who brought light into her life.

* * *

Miranda arrived home early that evening, and was able to have dinner with the twins, something they both appreciated. As they put away dishes, Miranda decided that it was likely the best time to tell them her schedule for the next day, considering she was supposed to be home early and that now wasn't the plan.

"Girls," Miran drew their attention, "I know you were looking forward to me arriving home a bit earlier tomorrow, but unfortunately something has come up."

"What," Cassidy stared at her mom suspiciously, "did something bad happen?"

"Not necessarily," Miranda offered her an indulgent smile, "I just had an unexpected meeting placed into the middle of my day."

"With who," Caroline seemed more interested in who her mother would be rubbing elbows with next than anything else.

"Do you remember Andrea," Miranda closed the dishwasher, turning to rise out the sink, "we're going to have lunch tomorrow "

"So you finally asked her on a date," Cassidy looked thrilled at the news.

"Excuse me," Miranda froze, before turning to face her daughters, "why would you assume it was a date? It's simply a business meeting for-"

"Oh come on mom," Caroline rolled her eyes, "you don't have to pretend you don't like her anymore, she's not your assistant."

"Yeah, Andy's cool, Mom," Cassidy agreed with her twin.

"Bobbsies, I think you're misunderstanding the situation," Miranda was trying her best _not_ to think about why their words seems so...true, even to her own ears. It was ridiculous.

"We heard you crying," Cassidy seemed to deflate just a little, "after Paris. We know it wasn't because of Stephen because he's an idiot."

"Cassidy," Miranda gave her a warning look.

"The only other option was Andy," Caroline piped up to continue the line of reasoning, "she made you sad. You care about her, so you should date her."

"That isn't how these things work," Miranda sighed, knowing that once her daughter's had an idea in their heads, nothing would change it, "Andrea is simply someone that I work with. Nothing more."

The twins looked at her, then at each other. Miranda watched as they seemed to come to some unspoken conclusion, before they both sighed and got down off their stools.

"Fine," Caroline sighed.

"We're gonna go get ready for bed," Cassidy tugged her sister's arm, stopping only to place a kiss on their mother's cheek before stomping up the stairs.

Miranda sighed, shaking her head at their antics. She finished up with the sink, and dried her hands as she thought over what her daughter's said. She could admit that her life had been far more pleasant with Andrea in it, but that was just because she made things go smoothly, and had gone above and beyond any expectations Miranda could have had for her. No matter what she threw at her, Andrea seemed to take it in stride and accomplish it with grace. She simply missed the convenience of having such a competent employee. That's all.

Right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, sorry for the late update. Finals kicked my ass, but you might get a double update today so there's that! Also, if you've read the original story, you will notice that this chapter is vastly different than what it used to be. Don't worry, the main romance between Mirandy will be the same at it's core, but this** ** _is_** **a reboot. I feel like now, there's a decent subplot so that there's less of a need for filler chapters. Hopefully you like the change as much as I do.**

 **Oh yeah, i don't have a beta right now and I'm currently looking for one so if you find anything mistakes or errors feel free to let me know and I'll get to it when I can.**

 **As always, I love to hear what you think!**

* * *

The day of their lunch meeting, Andy was far more tired than she'd been the day before. She was up late into the night, checking reports and signing off on department budgets. When she entered her office that morning, her assistant, Gia, could immediately tell she was exhausted. Steven was out on errand runs for majority of the morning, meaning that besides the mountains of work she was left to deal with, her morning ran smoothly.

At about a quarter past 2pm, she received an emergency email from her President. He'd attached damning evidence of her CFO, Harold Watson, working with a rival company. While it was only a few reports and some suspicious photographs, Andy was assured there was more evidence available upon request. The company legal had been informed, as well as her own personal lawyers, which meant that Harold would need to be suspended immediately, until the board could go over the evidence in its entirety.

Harold was currently in a meeting with a representative from Japan, and the meeting was very important. She couldn't just pull him out of it, it would reflect badly on her company as a whole. However, she also had a meeting with Miranda, and would need to either reschedule, or have the Editor meet her at her office, to avoid delays. She sighed, rubbing her temples, she called out to her assistant.

"Gia, can you get Miranda on the phone, and call down to Harold's office and inform his assistant he's to come straight up to see me once his meeting is finished," Andy instructed the blonde.

"Of course Andy," Gia immediately picked up the phone, "oh and by the way, your realtor called. The property you've been looking at has just gone back on the market. He said that he can arrange a meeting whenever your schedule permits."

"Call him back and let him know when I'm free," Andy sent her a smile, "thanks, Gia."

"Of course," she sent Andy a slight smile, before the phone was answered and she went back to work.

Andy was just finishing up an expense report when Gia called out to her, "I have Miranda on line one."

Andy looked up, seeing Gia look a little shaken. She gave her a sympathetic smile, and picked up the phone, "Miranda, I hate to do this but unless you're able to come to my office a little earlier, we'll have to reschedule our meeting."

"That's fine, Andrea," Miranda sounded both irritated and distracted, "I can leave in fifteen minutes, but if that's all I have work to attend to, or have you forgotten?"

"That works fine for me," Andy agreed, and was promptly hung up on. She shook her head, chuckling slightly.

About five minutes later, Steven arrived with a cup of lukewarm coffee and a clear attitude. Andy looked at the coffee, then at Steven. He sat at his desk, and ignored her look, typing up a report loudly.

"Steven...this coffee is disgusting," Andy sighed, "this isn't even what I ordered."

"So you want me to go back," He looked angry at the task.

"That's exactly what I want," she nodded, "and this time, if you get the order right and bring it back while it's still hot, you won't have to do it again."

He snatched up his bag, grumbling under his breath as Gia watched him go, "bitch."

Gia went to open her mouth and correct him, but Andy just shook her head. He stormed out, and if he could slam the elevator doors, she was sure he would have. Gia cast her a look.

"He does know that there's a cafeteria that brews your favorite coffee on the fifth floor, right," she questioned, "why does he go to a Starbucks almost a mile away, especially when you hate Starbucks?"

"Because I didn't tell him about it, and because he doesn't bother to pay attention or ask for help," Andy shrugged, "I know I embarrassed him, but that was years ago and I'm his boss now. His evaluations were immaculate until I came."

"He knows how to hold a grudge," Gia sighed, "he kinda hates me too because I didn't realize he wasn't an intern anymore on his first official day. That was months ago, and he still isn't over it."

"It'll cost him his job," Andy sighed.

Before Gia could reply, her phone rang and she was speaking quietly. Andy looked back at her work.

"Mr. Watson is on his way shortly, and Miranda is in the elevator as we speak," Gia announced.

Andy nodded, putting away some reports to clear her desk, "I'll need you to send an intern down for Miranda's coffee. Tell him to use a thermos, and to make sure he's careful not to burn himself. I'll text you her preference, so you won't have to suffer her wrath. When Harold arrives, let me know before you send him in."

"I'm on it, Boss," Gia pulled out her phone, just as the elevator opened.

Miranda stepped out of it, and glanced around at the office. The outer portion, like majority of the building, was styled in white, black and splashes of red. Two desks flanked the door to Andy's office, both facing the elevator, with a small reception area off to the left. To the right was an employee bathroom an unmarked room next to it.

"Miranda, it's a pleasure to meet you," Gia greeted the woman when Andy remained silent inside her office, "Andy is waiting for you, so you can go ahead. An intern will be by shortly with your coffee. If there's anything else I can get you, don't hesitate to ask."

Miranda raised an eyebrow, recognizing the voice from their brief phone call, "I will keep that in mind."

She entered the office, which was nearly three times the size of her own. Which, she mused internally, made since when she noted that Andy's office took up nearly half of the floor it was on. With a double sided elevator, she noticed that the lab for Andy's office was specifically labeled 34A.

"Good afternoon, Miranda," Andy smile brightly at the older woman, "I'm sorry to bring you here, there's just a small matter I have to handle before we can go."

"It's fine, Andrea," Miranda waved her off, as she took in the office, "I am a businesswoman, I, better than most, understand."

Andy was surprised at her words, having expected some form of sarcastic or biting comment. She looked at Miranda, and recognized something like respect in her gaze. Clearly Miranda recognized her as an equal on some level. Andy reasoned that it would be hard not to when the evidence was all around her.

"Well it shouldn't be-"

"Andy, Mr. Watson is here to see you," Gia spoke up.

They turned to see a tall man in his forties standing by Gia's desk. He was handsome, and clearly took good care of himself and his image, if the Versace suit and well groomed facial hair was anything to go by. He had an arrogant smile, and when Andy approached, he offered his hand in greeting.

"If it isn't our fearless liege," Harold smiled, "I understand that you wanted to see me? And...who is your beautiful friend."

His eyes turned to Miranda, and his charming smile turned almost predatory as he looked her up and down. Andy couldn't stop the irritation from showing on her face, something that did not go unnoticed by Miranda.

"This is Miranda Priestly, Editor in Chief of Runway magazine," Andy introduced them with as much politeness as she could muster, "Miranda, this is Harold Watson."

"I'm the CFO of Red Dot," He added on, "a pleasure to meet you, Miranda."

"I'm sure," Miranda wasn't even slightly impressed by the man, "do hurry with your meeting, Andrea. I only have an hour for lunch."

"Of course," Andy nodded, "we'll go into the conference room," Andy motioned to the otherwise unmarked door.

Harold was led inside, and Miranda turned the moment the elevator opened and a young, gangly, but well dressed intern stepped out. In his hand was a sleek silver thermos, with a discreet Red Dot Logo near the bottom, along with a few envelopes.

"Hey Gia," he greeted the assistant, blushing when she smiled at him, "I brought what you asked for, and your reports from the research department since I was already there."

"Thank you, Miles, that was really thoughtful," Gia accepted both with a smile.

"No problem," he shrugged, smiling back bashfully, "well I better get back. Those programs aren't gonna write themsel."

He left with an awkward wave. Gia shook her head, and turned back to Miranda as she offered her the scalding hot coffee. Miranda accepted, giving a nod of approval when she tasted the drink.

"Have you worked for Andrea long," Miranda felt the need to ask, sensing how close they were.

"We go way back," Gia grinned, "we went to Stanford together, but she was a year ahead of me."

"I thought Andrea attended Northwestern University," Miranda was confused by the new information.

"She did, for her journalism degree," Gia nodded, "she went back for her business degree at Stanford. She's the one that got me this job, working for her uncle."

Before Miranda could reply, there was shouting coming from conference room.

"You can't do this! Just because you got lucky and your Uncle kicked the bucket, doesn't mean you know anything about this company! That position was MINE, you hear me? You don't deserve it!"

"Harold, I would lower your voice," Andy sounded irritated.

"Fuck you, and this company. Intel has been begging me to come over there, they appreciate the information I give and they actually have enough sense to recognize a good CEO when he shows up!"

Andy spoke again, but this time Miranda couldn't quite make out what she said. A minute later, the door opened and Harold slowly emerged from the room. His face was pale, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. Wordlessly, he left the office. Andy left the room with a slight frown, but her face brightened when she saw Miranda.

"We can go," Andy smiled at her, "my driver is waiting downstairs."

* * *

"So," Andy glanced at Miranda as they drove, "rough morning?"

"Where do I even begin," Miranda rolled her eyes, "the incompetence of my staff should not surprise me anymore, but they manage the impossible to achieve that, at least."

"I'm sure it's not so bad that you can't fix it," Andy chuckled, remembering that she was included in Miranda's staff not even 2 months ago."

"Of course I can fix it," Miranda raised an eyebrow, "but I shouldn't have to. To make matters worse, the twins have decided that our meeting is a date, has saw it fit to have a delivery of flowers sent to my office 'in case I forgot how to be romantic'."

"Why would they think we're on a date," Andy felt her heart flutter.

"That I beyond me," Miranda rolled her eyes, "I suppose they mistake my stress as me being upset at your departure from my life."

"Oh," Andy cleared her throat, trying to ignore how those words bothered her, "well, we're here, and I might have something to cheer you up."

They exit the car, and Miranda looked at the seemingly pedestrian restaurant with a raised eyebrow, "The Hidden Prey? Surely you don't intend to force me to eat lord knows what they serve here?"

"Trust me," Andy smirked a little, leading her inside and towards the back, "the real restaurant is below the main level. The cafe services the general public, but only a select few are allowed into the true restaurant."

"And you are among these select few," Miranda raised an eyebrow at the information.

"I would hope so," Andy led her to an elevator, and stepping inside once it opened, "I own it, after all."

Miranda remained silent, stepped into the elevator and watching as Andy entered a passcode after selecting the basement level. When the doors opened, Miranda was greeted by a completely different view. The restaurant before her rivaled any five star restaurant she'd been to before. Andy led her to a small table near the back, and they were seated and a server placed the menu in front of them before disappearing as fast as he came.

"It is very hard to surprise me the way that you have, Andrea," Miranda spoke up finally, "why would you come to work for Runway, when you are as... established as you are. And why lie to me about it?"

"I needed to go somewhere where no one knew who I was," Andy admitted, "I didn't really lie so much as omit certain things. I did go to Northwestern, and I had recently graduated. I love writing, and I was actively pursuing a career in journalism."

"Did you never think about how you keeping this from me...from Runway could have negatively impacted the brand? Especially when you own stock in the company," Miranda sent her a sharp glare.

"I didn't know my uncle had done that," Andy sighed, "he promised he wouldn't interfere, but I'm sure he had his reasons once he became sick. It wasn't my intention to cause any harm...I really did appreciate the time I spent working under you."

Miranda's eyes widened slightly at her choice of words, and Andy blushed and cleared her throat, "I mean…" she sighed, shaking her head.

"Hey Andy, good to see you. The usual," a new server arrived, ready to take their order.

"Yeah, the usual is perfect," Andy smiled at her.

"And for you, Ma'am?"

"I'll have whatever she's having," Miranda wasn't particularly hungry at the moment.

"Of course, right away," She gave them a polite smile, "someone will be by with water shortly. The standard is Pellegrino, is there anything else you would rather drink instead?"

"No, that is acceptable," Miranda waved her off.

"It was my uncle's favorite," Andy answered the unspoken question, "Lord knows why. It's awful."

She wrinkled her nose at the reminder of the water, and Miranda couldn't help but smirk at her reaction.

"The fact that you do not enjoy it does not surprise me in the least," Miranda shook her head.

"I bet. Still, I didn't think you were a grilled cheese kinda girl, until you ordered it," Andy said casually.

Miranda's eyes widened in shock, "tell me that isn't what I just ordered!"

"Relax," Andy giggled at her expression, "I was only joking. It's a shrimp and lobster salad, with a side of steamed rice."

Miranda looked relieved, "good. I would hate to have to kill you. Imagine the headlines."

"You wouldn't do that," Andy grinned.

"Oh? What makes you so sure," Miranda challenged.

"Well, besides the fact that I was the best assistant you've ever had," Andy said cheekily, before going serious, "I actually accepted this meeting because I've come across some... interesting things."

"Such as," Miranda wasn't known for her patience.

"Well, I wasn't lying when I said I knew members of the Elias Clarke board," Andy began, "Grace Clarke and Jonathan Howard both went to college with my uncle, and Richard Elias was one of the first investors in my uncle's company. I've met the other members that have come and gone, with the exception of Irv and Charles at events and dinners when my uncle was still alive. The new member, Percival I've never met."

"That's how Irving didn't recognize you during the Gala," Miranda always wondered how Irv seemingly had no idea who Andrea was.

"My uncle never particularly cared to know him," Andy admitted, "he said that he'd heard bad things about him. That's why I was surprised he went through Irv to become involved with Runway. Although I suppose if he'd told anyone else, they would have recognized me and I would have found out his plan. However, that isn't what's important right now."

"And what is," Miranda was growing tired of the lack of information.

Their food arrived, just as Andy began to speak, "I have have been informed by a very reliable force, that Charles, Percival and Michael are all working with Irv to elect a new chairman in his place that will attempt to not only remove you from Runway, but also the founding families of Elias Clarke."

"To what end," Miranda couldn't understand how they could benefit from losing such credibility.

Without Runway, Elias Clarke would not make nearly enough money to make up for the losses of other failing magazines. Without Miranda, Runway would fail. The only thing besides Runway to keep the company afloat was the Elias Clarke name, which held not only a great deal of power in the publishing world, but gave credibility to the company.

"I'm not sure," Andy admitted, "without Runway, the company is dead in the water, and _you_ are Runway. Apparently, this has been going on for quite some time, and Irv being fired only escalated things."

"And how do you know all of this," Miranda hoped that perhaps Andy's information was wrong, because even she couldn't fight the board if they decided to remove her.

"Grace," Andy sighed, "she approached me when she realized that the shares my uncle bought was the only thing keeping Irv and his little band of merry men from absolute power."

Miranda snorted at the title, even though this was not the time for joking around.

"That's how Irv got fired. I was going to go through with the deal anyways, but they needed a reason to get rid of him. It bought time, but not as much as anyone would like," Andy looked frustrated.

"You only bought stock in Runway, from what I remember," Miranda recalled the meeting the day before.

"Officially, yes," Andy looked at her watch, "but we'll have to continue this another time. I have to go back to the office."

"Very well," Miranda only agreed when she realized she would need to leave now to get back to work on time.

"I know this is a lot to handle," Andy offered her a slight smile, "corporate espionage isn't exactly a part of your job description, but I'm not going to let Irv do this. I may not know much about fashion, but I know business. You do your job, and I'll make sure there's still a job for you to do."

"Why," Miranda could understand everything else Andy had explained well enough, but she didn't understand why she felt the need to help.

"Because…," Andy frowned a little, shaking her head, "because no one else in the world can do what you do, Miranda."

With that, she offered a slight smile, and turned away. Miranda watched her walk away, confused and conflicted about the words she'd just heard. A part of her felt _warm_ at Andy's words, she felt light in a way she never had before, but another part of her felt dread slowly creep into her veins. She wasn't stupid, or blind. There was clearly more to Andy's motivation than that. It wasn't that she didn't believe her, she just knew there was more. There was always more.


	4. Chapter 4

I feel like I should mention I switched around some ages just to fit the plot better. I always wanted the twins to be a lot younger when they meet and grow attached to Andy. I thought it would be cute to see her dealing with them going from hanging on her every word, to being moody preteens.

* * *

Andy rubbed her forehead in an attempt to ease the headache that came with the mountains of paperwork on her desk. It was Saturday morning, and she'd decided to take a break from her actual work, to focus on the files Grace had sent over days before. She hadn't slept much, and spent the entire week after her lunch with Miranda juggling between work and trying to figure out what exactly Irv had planned for Elias Clarke. If only her uncle was here...she sighed again.

The buzzing of her doorbell caused her to look up, rubbing at the back of her neck. Standing, she reluctantly headed for the door, glancing at the picture of her and her uncle. She smiled just slightly, before continuing to the door. Checking the peep hole, she saw a delivery man. Raising an eyebrow, she pulled the door open.

"Can I help you," she wondered, leaning against the door frame.

"I got a delivery for Andrea Sachs," he read off the name from his clipboard.

Andy cringed at the way he said her name, but nodded anyways, "that's me."

"Great, wait here. It's a big one," he gave her a polite smile, before turning around to walk down the steps to his truck.

Andy watches curiously as he pulls the back opened, and begins loading up what appeared to be a cart full of flowers. Andy's eyes widened, and she wondered if this was some kind of joke. Who would send her something like this?

She allowed him to place them inside the foyer, searching the numerous bouquets for a card. She found it in a dozen white roses, and was just about to open it when the delivery man spoke up.

"I just need your signature here and I'm out of your hair," he gave her the clipboard, indicating where he needed the signature.

Andy quickly signed it, reaching for her wallet in her back pocket. She absently handed him a $20 and nodded at his thanks. When she shut the door, she glanced around at all the flowers around her. Roses of all colors, all arranged with a meticulous eye. It almost seemed like the work of Miranda if she didn't know better. Her heart sped up when she finally opened the card, and read the short note.

Andrea,

I haven't been able to keep you far from my mind since our lunch. These flowers can't even begin to emulate your beauty, but it's a start.

-M

"There's no way," Andy immediate felt like she was being set up.

It was absolutely impossible that these flowers were from Miranda, but who else knew about their lunch? There was Gia, Emily, possibly Nigel and...the twins. Andy's eyes widened when she realized what this was. Of course it was the handwork of the twins. Who else would dare do something like this in Miranda's name? Plus, they were aware of her lunch meeting with Miranda and they'd declared it a date. Andy wasn't sure what type of prank this was, but she just decided to ignore it.

Heading back upstairs, Andy left the card on the decorative tablet in the hallway, deciding to keep her mind off of it.

* * *

It was later that afternoon when Andy finally left the house. She'd found something interesting in the files that Grace sent her, and Grace readily agreed to meet for a late lunch. Traffic, predictably, was awful, and Andy was grateful she'd decided to leave earlier than she needed to. As she watched the city through the window, her cellphone rang. Answering without checking the caller ID, Andy immediately regretted not looking.

"Andy Sachs," she gave her usual greeting.

"Andy? Hey, it's me, Christian," the voice was smug.

"I'm sorry, who," she faked confusion, debating on if she should just hang up.

"You know, Harry Potter, Paris," he chuckled, "ring any bells?"

Andy suddenly remembered that Christian was a part of the attempted Coup Irv put together in Paris. What would he have any business calling Andy for? Andy smirked as she realized there was only one way to find out.

"Oh gosh," she faked recognition, "I'm so sorry, Christian. I've just been so busy recently I'm a little overwhelmed."

"It's fine," he chuckles, "I heard you've got a lot on your plate."

"Yeah," she sighed, "it's way more than I bargained for honestly. Anyways, how are you?"

"I'm doing great," he said casually, "I'm actually in New York for a few days, I wanted to reconnect if you're not too busy."

"Well, I have a lot on my plate," she trailed off.

"Come on Andy, for old times sake," Christian attempted to sound charming, but all Andy could think about was that he was a snake.

"Well, I guess we could do dinner tomorrow night," she gave in, "I'm free around 7:30?"

"Perfect," he seemed a little too eager for the chance, "just send me the address and I'll meet you there."

"That sounds great," Andy lied, "but I've got to go now, I'm late for a meeting with an important client. It was great hearing from you, Christian."

"You too, Andy," he agreed, before handing up.

"He's so gross," Andy shivered, "can't believe I almost slept with that pig."

Before she could dwell on it, her car stopped and she looks up to see she was at Grace's hotel. Accepting the hand from her driver, she grinned at him as he tipped his hat to her.

"Just call when you need me, Ma'am," he smiled back at her.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Andy," Andy sighed good naturedly, "this meeting will probably run long, so how about you just come back in two hours."

"I'll be here, ma- Andy," he caught himself.

"Enjoy your break," Andy called to him, as she entered the lobby.

She approached the reception desk, and spoke up, "I'm Andy Sachs, I have a meeting with Grace Clarke."

"Of course," the receptionist immediately motioned over another employee, "she's waiting for you in one of the executive offices. John will show you the way, and a member of the kitchen staff will be by shortly to take your lunch order."

Andy smiled her thanks, as she followed John. She adjusted her briefcase, pulling her phone out to check the time. Seeing that she was just a little early, she wondered why Grace chose a hotel instead of her own home. The older woman always did things for a reason, but this was still a little odd. When the elevator stopped on the proper floor, Andy was led to a set of double doors, and John explained that Grace was waiting inside.

Opening the door, she saw the woman on her laptop, presumably checking emails as usual. Her jet black hair was pulled away from her face in an elegant bun, dark bangs hiding away her eyes at the angle of her head. She looked up when Andy entered the room, playful green eyes contradicting her age. She smiled at Andy, motioning for her to sit.

"Andy," she greeted her, "I'm sorry for all the confusion, but we had to be a bit discreet about this matter."

"Did something happen I should know about," Andy wondered, taking a seat.

"I'm fairly certain Irving has little spies that work among my direct employees," Grace looked irritated at the revelation, "I'm sure it's my secretary, Joanne."

"That would be smart," Andy nodded.

"Yes, but the fool thinks I'm unaware," Grace smirked at Andy, "I've been feeding her false information, just to be sure. You should warn Miranda that she may be getting a surprise visit from Irving next week if I'm correct. She should be prepared for him to ask about "inconsistencies" in the budget for the January issue."

Andy made a mental note to call Miranda later. She knew the woman was likely at work, despite it being a Saturday, but she knew she would be home soon enough.

"Well, now I know to check my newer employees more carefully," Andy sighed, "they're all replaceable. Upper management hasn't changed, and they're about as loyal as business men can be."

"William knew how to keep his staff loyal," Grace agreed, "that's what I always admired about him."

"I thought it was his devilishly handsome good looks," Andy laughed.

"That too," Grace admitted, "don't get me wrong, I loved my husband dearly, but William will likely always have the best ass I've ever seen on a 60 year old man."

Andy immediately grimaced at the mental image, earning a laugh from Grace, "that's awful, Aunt Grace."

"It's true," she shrugged, "though I suppose you'd prefer Miranda's ass."

Andy nearly choked on her own spit at the words, looking at Grace in shock, "how do you-"

"I'm old, not stupid," Grace chuckled, "I know beyond loyalty to me and Richard, Miranda is your main motivation for helping us with this little... problem."

"I feel so pathetic," Andy admitted, "it's not like she'll magically fall in love with me if I save Runway. She isn't that superficial."

"I'm sure the media would beg to differ, but that's another matter entirely," Grace placed a hand on Andy's, "I think perhaps you're not giving yourself or Miranda enough credit."

"Yeah right," Andy shrugged, "Miranda is turning 49 this year, she has two 7 year old children and plenty of prospects after her divorce is final. Why would she want me?"

Grace gave Andy a once over, raising an eyebrow, "besides your looks, you mean? All of her "prospects" are successful businessmen, check. They're considerably wealthy, check. They frequent the most exclusive circles of high society, check."

"That's not true," Andy cut it, "I don't frequent the most exclusive circles of high society," Andy used finger quotes.

"You went to school with three Saudi Arabian Princes, you're having a private lunch with me, and you have the personal number of the governor of both New York and Ohio," Grace raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Well, when you say it like that," Andy slumped in her seat.

"You're her ideal partner, Andy. The only thing that makes you different is the fact that you're a woman, and she cares enough about you for that not to matter," Grace gave her a knowing smile.

Before Andy could comment, a waiter entered the room with a knock, pushing a cart of drinks and ready to take their orders. As they ordered, Andy thought over what Grace had just said. She highly doubted that if Miranda was attracted to women, she would be ashamed or hide it. She was surrounded by openly gay men every day, no one truly important would care, and even if they did, Miranda wouldn't. But, that was still assuming that Miranda had any interest in her beyond business and perhaps friendship. Andy liked to think that if she'd stayed in Paris, maybe they would have been friends.

"Stop thinking about the woman of your dreams, and let's actually get to what we're here for," Grace looked at her in amusement.

"Right," Andy ignored the comment about Miranda, "I was going through some of the financial reports that were given to my uncle as a part of his deal, and comparing them with the reports you gave me."

Andy opened her briefcase, pulling out the mentioned files and their copies. She handed Grace a copy, and took her own. Flipping through a few pages, she found the areas where she'd highlighted the inconsistencies. Grace looked them over in silence, pulling out her reading glasses to get a better look.

"I had my suspicions about Irving's numbers," Grace admitted, "the projections for the Runway profits were always surprisingly low. He always blamed it on Miranda going over budget for the shoots. Richard hired a third party company to go over the records, but there wasn't anything wrong with the numbers so we left them as is, but this...this is millions of dollars more than we saw last year."

"I've got a hunch about that," Andy admitted, "I think the records he gave my uncle were the real numbers. I've seen Runway's budget, we almost never went over, and if we did it was in the thousands, not the millions."

"I'll have to speak to Miranda about this and get her records directly," Grace rubbed her temples, "if this is what I thought it is, then we have enough on Irving to be rid of him for good."

"That only solves one problem," Andy pointed out, "he's just the tip of the iceberg. We'll have to figure out who else is involved, and if Irv is actually the one pulling the strings."

"I think we can both agree that there's someone pulling his strings," Grace says, "this is sloppy."

"Well, Irv knows that I know members of the board," Andy frowned a little, "it would be easy enough to find connections between me and Jonathan, and me and Richard because of their involvement in Red Dot. It's a little harder to connect the threads between me and you, since we haven't been seen together very much and your shares aren't exactly common knowledge. I think I might know a way to turn this in our favor, while gaining evidence about just what Irv is up to."

Grace gave her a curious look, "I'm listening…"

"Percival is clearly working with Irv, and I think it's fair to say that so is Charles," Andy pointed out, "Michael is something of a neutral party, since he only cares about whatever is going to make a profit for the company. Whoever replaces Irv as chairman has to be someone on our side and I might have a few ideas on how to ensure that."

"If I closed my eyes, I could swear I was sitting across from William," Grace chuckled, "tell me what you're thinking."

"Well," Andy grinned, launching into her explanation.

* * *

Monday saw Andy heading into the Runway offices. Her new assistant, Joey, was hot on her heels as she made her way to Emily's desk with purpose.

"Joey, move my 3:30 meeting to tomorrow at 10, inform HR that I'll need a completely new batch of potentials for the opening in finance, have Gia send me the work up for the new marketing campaign for this summer, and alert security that Harold will be coming in later to collect his personal belongings. He's not to be left out of their sight. Period."

Joey typed away at his phone, catching every word and sending out multiple texts to the relevant people. Seconds later, his phone chimed, just as Andy approached Emily and a curious Nigel.

"Your 10 o'clock just confirmed, HR has been alerted and will email in the new files by close of business, Gia will have everything ready when you return to the office and Security is on standby," Joey listed off his tasks, putting his phone away.

Nigel have an impressed whistle, and raised an eyebrow, "fine assistant you got there, Six."

"Isn't he," Andy grinned, "Joey, I need you to drop off the files sent by Gregory this morning to the legal department, then you can take your lunch."

"Would you like me to meet you back here, or stay at the office," Joey nodded readily.

"You can stay put," Andy nodded, "if you finish the reports I left for you, ask Gia if she needs any help until I get back."

"You're the boss," he gave her a playful salute, before heading back to the elevators.

"He's cute," Nigel watched his ass as he walked away.

"Nigel, my assistant is not a snack," Andy pointed at him playfully.

"You're no fun," Nigel pouted, "but, we need to catch up over drinks. Don't think you're off the hook just because you walk around with eye candy."

"I'll call you," Andy promised, "but I really need to get in and see Miranda."

"She's not to be disturbed," Emily finally decided not to ignore Andy like she didn't exist.

"It's important, Em," Andy shrugged, "promise I won't get you in trouble."

"Absolutely not," Emily shook her head, "Miranda was quite clear that she didn't want anyone disturbing her. Especially not you."

"I understand that, but this is serious," Andy gave a frustrated sigh.

"Well perhaps you should have-"

"Andrea," Miranda's soft voice managed to cut through whatever Emily was about to say, causing the three of them to turn and look at Miranda office, "come in and close the door."

Andy grinned at Emily's shocked silence, and sent Nigel a wink as he chuckled. Turning, she entered the office and shut the door as she was told. Sitting down, she gave Miranda a smile.

"Good morning, Miranda," Andy greeted her, "in sorry to just drop in, but I promise it's for a good reason."

"I'd assumed as much," Miranda raised an eyebrow.

"Grace and I went over some reports," Andy said lowly, "I just need to ask you if this looks familiar at all."

She opened her briefcase, pulling out the reports from Irv. Miranda took them, scanning them quickly, before sitting them down, "this is the Runway expenses report from last quarter."

"I figured as much," Andy nodded, "which is why Grace was concerned that this is the report she received instead."

Handing over the false report, Andy saw as Miranda's face hardened as she took in the dramatic changes. She looked between the two reports, checking and double checking that what she was seeing was correct.

"He falsified these, and gave them to the board," Miranda sat them down, "to what end? Even in the doctored report, my margin of profit is more than enough to keep me in my position as Editor in Chief."

"I don't think this is necessarily about you getting fired," Andy admitted, "I think that was just a convenient side effect of his plans. With someone more compliant running Runway, he could explain away even more money disappearing."

"So it's fraud," Miranda frowned, "that miserable fool."

"I think that's his reasoning," Andy agreed, "people like Irv are only ever after money because they lack the charisma or fortitude to go after anything else."

"You think there's more to it than this," Miranda immediately caught on, "who?"

"I'm not sure," Andy sighed, "that's what I'm trying to find out. In about 15 minutes, Irv will be here to ambush you about some bogus reports he thinks you sent to Grace about the January budget. Make him think that you sent them against your will, and that you despise Grace."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me why," Miranda crossed her arms lightly.

"The less you know, the less likely he is to catch on," Andy smiled apologetically, "but once it's safe enough to tell you, I will. Just play along with what's about to happen, ok?"

"What do you mean," Miranda's eyes narrowed at the wording, "what are you about to do?"

"Irv thinks I'm just tits with a title," Andy shrugged, "he has no idea what I'm actually capable of. If I can get him to believe that I was tricked into getting him fired, he'll see me as a potential target to manipulate himself."

"And who better to manipulate you, than the Devil herself," Miranda suddenly smirked, "but it can't be that easy."

"Irv doesn't really cover his tracks well," Andy chuckled, "he sent Christian Thompson to seduce me to his side. It's like he thinks I forgot Christian was a part of his plan to oust you from your position."

"Miranda, Mr. Ravits is here to see you," Emily poked her head into the office, looking less than pleased.

"I'll be there in a moment," Miranda waved her off.

Andy stood, adjusting her suitcase before turning to face Miranda, "shall we?"

Miranda's smirk was downright predatory as she met Andy by the door. As she pulls it open, she casually slipped her hand into the small of Andy's back, and gently guided her into the outer offices.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me Miranda," Andy smiled brightly at Miranda.

"Of course," Miranda's own smirk hadn't wavered, "you're always welcome at Runway."

Andy blushed just slightly, and looked up at Irv in surprise, "oh, Mr. Ravits. I didn't know you would be here."

He glared at her, his eyes darting between her and Miranda suspiciously, "I'm not fired just yet, Ms. Sachs. Although I don't know why you're here."

"Oh, I just came to...um," Andy froze, eyes wide just slightly as she pretended to think of an excuse.

"I invited Andrea here to speak with me about a personal matter," Miranda was quick to step in, "she was just leaving."

Andy cleared her throat, "right. I'll speak to you later, Miranda. Goodbye Mr. Ravits."

She quickly made her way to the elevators, breathing a sigh when the doors closed behind her. As she watched the numbers move lower and lower, she smirked a little. These next few weeks would be interesting, indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

**So... I'm apparently alive and well. Go figure. Anyways, things are getting...wild now. I know some things seem really random, but this was actually the original plot for the first one that I scrapped, so it's interesting to come back to it. The next few chapters will be bouncing around between events that push the plot alomh, because this definitely isn't the main storyline, but it servss itsi purpose.**

 **Enjoy and drop me a line if you feel so inclined, telling me what you think.**

 **Later!**

* * *

The days dragged by for Andy, who spent countless hours trying to juggle her position at Red Dot and the issues at Elias Clarke. She'd had her lawyers and accountants going over the newly acquired shares she obtained in both Elias-Clarke Publishing, and Runway with a fine toothed comb. In addition to that, she also had a private investigator looking into Irv and Christian. As she'd expected, there was enough evidence to suggest they were working together.

While Andy planned her next move, she kept Miranda as informed as she safely could. She didn't like the feeling of keeping secrets from Miranda, much to Grace's amusement. The older woman had told her on several occasions to just ask her out, but Andy knew there was too much at stake to worry about personal relationships.

"Andy, Miranda is on line 2," Joey poked his head into her office, "she said she only had a minute so you should probably…"

Andy smiled a little, picking up her phone to answer the waiting call, "this is Andy."

"Really, you should come up with a more suitable greeting," Miranda's eye roll was heavily implied in her tone as she spoke.

"Hello to you, too," Andy chuckled, "what can I do for you?"

"The girls have expressed an interest in you attending their recital this weekend," Miranda sounded almost hesitant to speak about it, "they've apparently grown accustomed to you attending such events as my assistant."

"Well it just so happens that I'm free," Andy couldn't fight her grin if she wanted to, "I'll just assume it's this Saturday as the usual time and place?"

"Yes," Miranda agreed, "but we usually have dinner beforehand at around 5:30."

"Well, I'll be sure not to eat before then," Andy bit her lip, "would you like me to meet you at the townhouse or are we having dinner elsewhere?"

"The townhouse will do," Andy could hear another voice in the background, and knew their time was cut short, "I have to go. Don't be late."

Miranda hung up before she could respond, and Andy shook her head and chuckled. As she went back to her own work, she couldn't help but feel anticipation building in her stomach. She hadn't physically seen Miranda in almost two weeks, which wasn't really long, but it was still something that required adjusting to when she was used to seeing her everyday. Even though it was now months since Paris, she still had Miranda on the brain.

* * *

Andy arrived to the townhouse to pure chaos. Miranda was impeccably dressed and put together when she answered the door, but the calm was broken the moment Andy stepped foot inside. Cassidy was screaming at the top of her lungs, asking her sister, who Andy assumed was on a different floor, if she had seen her shoes. Caroline, for her part, opted not to scream her answer back, but took her time moving from the kitchen to the second floor. This only made Cassidy call out to her again, and Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose as she took a deep breath.

"I take it they're not always like this," Andy looked at the older woman in amusement.

"Of course not," Miranda gave her an annoyed glance, "the moment I informed them you would be joining us for dinner, they had a sudden desire to completely change their outfits. Several times."

"All this for little ol' me," Andy grinned, "I'm flattered."

"You would be," Miranda looked almost amused as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Andy, "come along, Andrea. We'll wait for my indecisive bundles of energy in the kitchen."

Andy followed behind her dutifully, the grin still planted firmly on her lips. She sat at the breakfast bar, watching as Miranda moved comfortably around the kitchen, preparing to serve dinner. Andy wasn't sure, but it smelled decidedly Italian. Fettuccini, if she had to guess. Idly, she wondered if Miranda had cooked herself, or if this was Cara's doing.

"Andrea," Miranda's tone was sharp, causing Andy to immediately look her way.

"Yes, Miranda?"

"I was speaking to you," Miranda looked far from amused.

"I'm sorry, I guess I've just got a lot on my mind," Andy offered an apologetic smile, "won't happen again."

"See to it that it doesn't," Miranda's tone left no room for arguing, not that Andy would have, "I was inquiring about the progress of your investigation."

"Oh," Andy bit her lip, "you know, it's mostly just logistics at this point. We have proof that Irv is involved in something, it's now been a matter of what and why. I have my guesses, but it's early days."

Miranda looked unimpressed with the answer, and Andy could guess that it as most likely because that was the same answer she'd given the last time Miranda asked. It wasn't that she didn't trust Miranda, it was more so that she didn't think Miranda would react well to finding out the truth. There were certain things that Miranda didn't stand for being violated, and Irv had already attempted to violate her magazine. She wasn't sure how much more she could take before she attempted to murder him.

"You know," Miranda casually returned to cutting the bread that would be paired with their meal, "there was a time when you were too afraid to lie to me. I'm beginning to miss those days."

"I was never afraid of you," Andy blurted, before she could stop herself.

"Oh," Miranda's attention was completely focused back on her.

"I um... maybe a bit intimidated," Andy stretched the truth a little, "but not afraid. Not like Emily."

"I hardly-"

"Andy!"

"When did you get here?"

Andy turned, relieved for the interruption. Twin redheads entered the kitchen in a ruckus, only slowing down at their mother's disapproving glare. Cassidy immediately took the seat to Andy's left, and Caroline to her right.

"Hey, Kiddos," Andy smiled at them, "I haven't been here long. Did you find everything you needed?"

"Uh huh," Cassidy ignored the way her mother rolled her eyes at her answer, focused solely on Andy, "we saw your new ad on the way home from school yesterday!"

"It was on the side of building," Caroline added on, "but the colors were all wrong."

"Were they now," Andy looked at her in amusement, "and just what would you have done differently?"

Miranda watched with amusement as the twins listed off the various changes and critiques they had for Andy's newest marketing campaign. Andy listened attentively, pointing out when things would not work in the context they were presented in. The twins soaked up the attention, and the conversation flowed easily over dinner, and even through the ride to the recital.

They very reluctantly joined the other students, as Andy and Miranda found their seats. Andy looked lost in thought, as her phone buzzed nearly silently every few seconds.

"If it's important, you should take it outside," Miranda motioned to her phone.

"It's not," Andy shook her head, smiling at Miranda, "just needed to send some last minute instructions to the research department before they go home for the weekend."

"I see," Miranda's raised eyebrow was all the question Andy needed.

She sighed in amusement, "I might need to borrow the twins for a few days during their winter break, if that's ok with you."

Miranda looked scandalized at the words, "Andrea you do not simply borrow children."

"You know what I meant," Andy gave her a look, "you're not fooling me, Priestly. I know you get some deep level of enjoyment from letting people think you take everything they say literally."

Miranda didn't reply, but the twinkle of amusement was all the answer Andy needed as the lights dimmed and the recital began.

* * *

"Andrea," Miranda entered the den, later that night with two glasses of wine, "you mentioned borrowing my children during their break. What could you possibly need two 7 year olds for?"

"Well the original plan was to take them to the park and use them to pick up single mother's, but I decided against that fairly quickly," Andy grinned at the displeasure clear on Miranda's face, "I've been having some issues with my Research Department lately. All they seem to come up with is the same ideas packaged slightly differently with the occasional update every few models. Obviously I'm not Apple, so that doesn't interest me at all."

Miranda noticed that Apple seemed to rub Andy the wrong way, "I can understand frustration with your staff. Especially if you pay them as well as I pay mine."

"It's frustrating that spending a few hours with a pair of 7 year olds yielded more new ideas than a week's worth of meetings with supposed experts," Andy took a deep sip of her wine, "while Caroline definitely has an eye for marketing, Cassidy seemed more worried about what our latest laptops didn't do that they should. I've never been lectured by a 7 year old quite to thoroughly."

"Yes, my girls are quite opinionated," Miranda gave her a blank stare, but her blue eyes hid amusement.

"They must get it from their father," Andy teased, "because you're the paragon of patience and understanding."

That drew an unexpected laugh from Miranda's lips, who couldn't stop the sound even if she tried. She glares at Andy, but didn't bother to fight the smile that pulled at her lips.

"You're insufferable," Miranda accused her, rolling her eyes.

"I try," Andy grinned, "but, I really do want to do a focus group with the girls. We'll bring in a few other children around their age, set them up for a few days in a spear office, and unleash them onto my research team. They'll either drive them to madness, or a stroke of genius."

"People don't give you enough credit," Miranda tilted her head as she studied Andy, "you're quite devious, Andrea."

"How do you think I survived working for the Devil in Prada," Andy laughed at the look on Miranda's face.

"Touche," Miranda inclined her head, showing she wasn't angry at the playful jab.

* * *

"Andy, sit down," Grace's words were sharp, as she watched the younger woman pace, "you're making me dizzy."

"Sorry," Andy bit her lip, reluctantly taking her seat across from Grace, "I just...this feels really wrong. I don't like keeping secrets from Miranda, but this? This is not just some regular secret. She's involved in this, blindly."

"I understand, Andy, but you have to be very careful with this situation," Grace soothed her, "if Miranda reacts too rashly, this could cause a domino effect for everyone. Runway will be ruined."

"Grace, he's…this is so much deeper than we thought," Andy could feel the tears of frustration pooling in her eyes, "all those people...how did I never notice? I was there, I saw these people almost every day and I never suspected-"

"Of course you didn't," Grace placed a hand on Andy's knee, "you see only the good in people. But, now that we know, we have to do this properly, or Miranda will be swept up in all of this, not just Runway."

Andy ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm herself down. They'd just heard back from their Private Investigator, who dedicated all of his time following Irv, and anyone associated with him. In the past few weeks, he'd uncovered what they'd initially assumed was just a laundering operation through Elias-Clarke, but recent sightings between Irv and known movers within New York's sex trade had raised red flags. He'd contacted local police, and Andy and Grace were due for a meeting with detectives from the Special Victims Unit.

"It's not just Miranda I'm worried about," Andy admitted, "Nigel, Emily, Serena...oh god, Serena used to be a Runway Model."

"Calm down," Grace squeezed her knee, a little more harshly than she'd intended, "if any of them have been victimized by Irv, then we will offer them the full support of our positions in life."

"What if-"

A knock at Grace's door cut off whatever horrible line of thought Andy was about to voice, and Grace stood up. She cast Andy one last look, before opening her door, knowing who was on the other side. A relatively tall, olive skinned woman and a blonde stood in the doorway. They were both dressed in business attire, but the darker of the two was much more casual not only in dress, but also in demeanor. She wore black slacks with a badge clipped to her belt, a maroon button up and a black blazer. The blond had on a grey pencil skirt, with a China blue blouse and her own jacket was draped over her arm that held a briefcase.

"Grace Clarke? Hi, my name is Detective Olivia Benson, and this is ADA Alexandra Cabot," Olivia offered her hand to Grace, who shook it.

"I would say it's nice to meet you, but given the circumstances, I'm sure you understand why it's not," Grace offered a polite smile, "this is my Goddaughter, Andrea Sachs."

"Andy," Andy corrected her, offering her own hand, "no one calls me Andrea."

"Of course," Alexandra smiled politely, "may we come in? We just need to go over a few things so that we're not missing any information. This is a very delicate situation, and I'd rather not have any unforeseen circumstances sping up on me."

"Of course," Grace led them inside, offering a seat, "make yourselves comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?"

"I'll have a coffee, if it's not too much trouble," Olivia gave Alexandra a knowing smile, "mine was...a casualty of a busy morning."

"I'll get it," Andy stood, shooing Grace away when she moved to get up, "and for you, Alexandra?"

"Alex," the blonde insisted, "and I'll have a coffee too, thanks."

Andy nodded, feeling her stomach churn uncomfortably at what she knew was ahead of her.

* * *

The next Monday morning, Andy had made another unexpected visit to Miranda's office. This time, Emily knew better than to argue, and she simply went to inform Miranda of her arrival. The woman was a little surprised to see her, but not bothered. She told Andy to shut the door behind her, and they took a spot on the comfortable leather couch off to the side of her office.

"I would ask if this was a social call, but I can tell something is wrong," Miranda broke the silence, sensing Andy's anxiety.

"Do you trust me," Andy couldn't help but ask, shifting nervously.

Miranda gave her a look that would cause lesser men to question themselves, "don't be absurd. Would I allow you around my children if I did not?"

"I'm going to need you to remember that," Andy swallowed, "I know you're wondering why I haven't been talking about the investigation, but I need you to understand that as of right now, I can't. At least...not really."

"Andrea," Miranda's tone was a warning, Andy knew that much.

"Please, Miranda, just trust me," Andy pleaded, "I'm doing everything I can to protect you, and Runway. Sometimes that means I'm going to ask you to do things that you normally wouldn't, but you need to understand that alternative would be...very public and very damaging."

"Andrea, I am too old to be playing these games with you," Miranda's eyes were blazing as she glared Andy.

Andy, in her panic, couldn't think of anything to say. She knew what she wanted to say, but she knew telling Miranda the truth would have horrible consequences should anyone find out. So, she did the next best thing. She told another truth that she was reluctant to admit to, but for completely different reasons.

She kissed Miranda.

The few seconds the kiss lasted seemed to simultaneously slow down and spead up time, and when she hastily pulled away, bracing for the verbal storm heading her way, she opened her eyes to see Miranda's own eyes still closed, face frozen in surprise. Blue eyes blinked open, and stared at Andy. She shifted under her gaze, but held it as she dared Miranda to see her truth. Maybe if Miranda understood that it was how much she cared about her that was preventing her from telling her the truth, perhaps she would be more willing to accept it.

"Andrea," Miranda's tone was subdued, like she wasn't quite sure how to react.

"I care about you and I don't want to be responsible for anything bad happening," Andy swallowed, "so you have to either accept that, and do what I ask, or you'll have to deal with the police, who are far less understanding…"

"The police," That seemed to draw Miranda's attention back to the original situation, "is it that bad? What has he gotten into?"

"I can only tell you this because the department has already done a very thorough background check of you, and you're cleared of involved as of now," Andy bit her lip, "it turns out we stumbled across an ongoing investigation. They want our help, and you're the key to cracking the case."

"Me? But what could I possibly offer besides an unmatched eye for fashion," Miranda, to Andy's disbelief, was entirely serious.

"I can't really say much right now," Andy admitted reluctantly, "but it involves Runway and Irv. The department wants to plant an officer in your office, to keep a better eye on everything."

"Absolutely not," Miranda immediately resisted the idea, "I won't let anyone disrupt the progress of the next issue, especially so close to print. Have them placed in security, if you must."

"Miranda, I know that the idea of some cop stumbling around in here is the last thing you need," Andy's voice had a slight edge to it, "but wouldn't you rather that, than to end up in jail?"

"Jail?"

Miranda looked as if Andy had stuck her just by saying the word.

"Irv is going down," Andy pointed out, "and he will take everyone else he can down with him, especially you."

Miranda's silence gave Andy the answer she needed. She grabbed Miranda's hands, squeezing them in reassurance.

"I'm working with the undercover detective," She smiled just a little, "she's a little rough around the edges, but she's smart and has an amazing eye for detail. Just your type."

Miranda's hand squeezed back, as blue eyes lifted warm brown, "I highly doubt that, Andrea. I have yet to meet anyone remotely close to you."

Andy momentarily forgot to breathe, at the implications of her words. Her eyes dropped to Miranda's lips, which held a smirk, and just as she was about to lean in, the door to Miranda's office opened, and a panicked Emily poked her head in.

"Miranda, Nigel is on line 2," she spoke like they were her final words, "there's been a mixup with the Dior dress…"

And like that, Andy watched as Miranda built herself back up into the Queen of Fashion. She couldn't stop her smile, even as she was shooed away by an extremely annoyed Miranda.


End file.
